Solange Knowles is getting a major honor from Billboard.
The 31-year-old singer will receive the American Express Impact Award during the Billboard Women in Music Awards ceremony later this month. As the first American recipient of the award, Solange is being acknowledged for her album, A Seat At the Table, which empowered fans and educated others.
“We should just be able to exist whenever and however we please and choose to,” Knowles told The Fader in a 2016 interview about her third studio album.
“But I also understand the power of manifesting something when you speak it into existence, and almost needing to give it a name to show people, ‘Hey, this is how we see ourselves and this is how we want you to see us.’ There are a lot of moments in my life where I have a lot of care. I have a lot of things to think about and a lot of things that I’m managing and trying to navigate through.”
“And then there are some moments when I feel free as f**k, and I feel completely weightless and at peace. Those are both the complexities of being a woman of color, and I celebrate both of those. They are both who I am and they need each other to exist.”
As noted by Billboard, A Seat at The Table debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, Apple Music and iTunes Overall Top Albums Charts. The record’s success led to her Orion’s Rise performance series that included two sold out shows at Radio City Music Hall as well as shows at Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, the Greek Theatre, and Orpheum Theater. A portion of the proceeds from one of her Radio City Music Hall performances and all of the proceeds from her Orpheum Theater performance were donated to hurricane relief efforts.
For these reasons and more, Solange is being honored for her daring and thought-provoking work on Nov. 30 in Los Angeles’ Ray Dolby Ballroom.
Congrats!
